On the 18th day of the 12th month of the Holy Year 904 at 6:24 pm---at Tote''s meeting hall.


    Security squad''s leader, Mos, sat in on the end-of-year officials meeting.


    "---is the budget n for next year. Please state any ns for the surplus funds after raising your hand," the vige chief said, and the officials raced to get their hands up.


    "We, the agricultural department, only have one request: please add more fields. There''s so muchnd to expand into still," one official said.


    "Oi, oi," another chimed in. "Didn''t we add 100 fields for you guysst year?"


    "That''s right, we''re already losing 50% to tax. If we add any more even an idiot would start watching us closely."


    The officials crossed their arms and groaned.


    "Shouldn''t we use thend to raise more livestock that don''t get taxed? What about the Wind Cows we received from Saint-sama? Wouldn''t we be able to sell milk, butter, and cheese at high prices?"


    The merchants'' informationwork is scary. I don''t know how they heard about it, but recently there''s been merchants other than Giresse visiting Tote. As a result, the vige has developed to the point where you couldn''t even find a trace of the old version.


    "No, if we raise our revenue any further, they''ll start taxing our livestock. Shouldn''t we find another solution?" the assistant vige chief said as the rest nodded their heads in agreement.


    "Then please divert some of the budget towards the manufacturing department," Pause, a chestnut-haired youth who had returned from a two-year long training with Sagami Co. just half a year ago, said while bowing his head down.


    In around half a year, he managed to build factories and create a popr product among women who weren''t suited for farming or raising livestock: the mirror. He was the vige hero who brought enormous profits back.


    He studied under, Leroy-sama, who headed Sagami Co.''s R&D department and learned many skills.


    "No objections here," one official said.


    "Yeah, the Commerce Guild has jurisdiction over the merchandise and they''ll never tax it. It''s the most profitable thing. I agree as well," another added.


    Voices of agreement echoed one after another, and while the budget n received a few more corrections, it was approved.


    After the meeting finished, I exited Tote''s meeting hall.


    My eyes stopped on the vigers in the windowed stores who were preparing to go home.


    After that incident, Tote continued to expand and developed all the way to the edge of the Ancient Forest, dozens of timesrger than before.


    "The vige has changed a lot," I pointed out.


    There were well-maintained roads and buildings. The tall, thick walls that surrounded the vige warded off monsters and currently served as a talking point in the vige.


    Mos'' group used the high-rank earth magic they had acquired to easily construct the stone walls.


    It wouldn''t be an exaggeration to say that merchants began staying longer because of the wall''s existence.


    "Only three more months......"


    Soon, the vige''s guardian deity-like being would leave Mird.


    It was because of Grey-sama that the vige could develop at such frightening speeds. He had brought new knowledge and systems, and most importantly, had taught them the heart to never give up---Tote currently enjoyed wealth iparable to before.


    He increased the variety of crops and productivity skyrocketed. Moreover, we couldn''t rely solely on crops so he gave us a set ie, and thus our food stores wouldn''t be at the weather''s mercy.


    He outfitted several schools for children and had the roles of vige chief and assistant vige chief be determined through an election.


    The biggest change of all was the vigers'' awareness. The had previously believed that there was no other way to live than following the feudal lord''s every word. Now, they tried to slip through his watch and wracked their brains to improve their profits.


    With just a simple change in awareness, they''vee to see an entirely different world and personally experience just how valuable knowledge and information can be.


    "Mos," a voice called out.


    Mos turned just his face towards the voice behind him to find Tana, the woman who lost her brother during what could be called the start of the incident.


    "Tana, I heard you''re going to participate in Sagami Co.''s medical development team. Congrattions."


    She was currently working with Grey''s attendant, Ca, to provide medical care throughout the vige, but recently her achievements have been noticed and has been permitted to join to thepany''s medical development team.


    "Hehe, Thanks. You''re going to have a ceremony with Ageha next month, right? Congrattions to you, too," she bashfully said while scratching her face.


    "Thanks."


    Ageha was the fairy girl with butterfly wings who Grey had saved during the goblin raid incident a few years prior. She currently served as the vice-captain of the security squad and often took on bodyguard jobs.


    At first, maybe because of the difference in races, she didn''t mesh well with the others, but by putting her all into themon goal of protecting Tote, they gradually began to grow closer and she turned into an unreceable member.


    "So, didn''t you have something to ask?" Mos said, forcefully changing the subject.


    "Is Grey-sama really going to leave Mird?"


    "He isn''t the type of person to go back on his word."


    "I know that! But---"


    Mos cut her off with a wave of the hand. "Last month, Grey-sama said, ''You''ve already be dependent.'' Remember? That''s the highest praise that he''ll give. The only thing we can do now is to not sully his expectations."


    Grey said thatst month when we returned the money we had borrowed until now.


    "If Grey-sama became the next head, thisnd would prosper even further!"


    Recently, seeds of pride and attachment have been growing inside everyone---it was probably due to the fact that they could afford to rx now.


    "Give up on the other viges. The only thing we can do now is develop the vige even further."


    Because of the vige''s development, it would be impossible for the current head to unjustly exploit us.


    The citizens of Tote weren''t ves. The only rights he had over the vige were the rights to levy taxes and conscript soldiers.


    As he would never use his right to conscript soldiers, as long as we were wary of his right to levy taxes, we could effectively ignore him.


    Actually, that well-known messenger of his visited the vige several times with special tax orders, but we politely turned her away on the basis that as long as there wasn''t any documentation, we wouldn''t pay.


    The messenger mored about how we would be executed for treason, but I say hit us with your best shot. Even if she attacked us with her private army, these study walls shouldn''t fall. And if she tried to conscript soldiers from other viges, we would sent a report to Central. There were also wealthy merchants that dealt with the vige. It should be much easier to give us independence than have the greedy nobles join in the fray; Central would probably send a mediator as well. And if it came to that, their destruction would be all but assured.


    However, that wouldn''t hold true if we deceived Grey-sama and began managing other vigers. Worse case scenario, it could even be used as a reason to call us treasonous.


    Tana chewed her lip in frustration, only muttering, "I know."


    "Then let''s send him off with a smile. That''s the greatest way we can repay him.


    "Saint-sama has arrived!!" a viger suddenly yelled in excitement. Soon, everybody moved to the central za.


    "You''re as popr as ever."


    "Obviously. It''s Grey-sama after all."


    "True."


    With a smile on his face, Mos headed for the za.